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Airport · MCI · Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, MO

Kansas City, MO posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 524,365 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Data updated 2026-06-13

82%
On-time
Top 67%
on-time, US airports
70 min
Delay when late
1.22%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

524,365

Best Month

Sep 93.4%

Worst Month

Jul 89.2%

Delayed

94,477

Cancelled

6,385

MCI on-time rate vs. the national average

Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.

0%100%U.S. average79%82%

Where MCI sits among all 382 tracked airports

MCI's 82% on-time rate falls in the 80-85% band, the 192-airport band it shares.

National on-time-rate distribution

airports

What this shows MCI is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 2,960,553.

Late Aircraft 42.6% (1,262,423 min)
Carrier 30.3% (898,430 min)
NAS (National Aviation System) 20.8% (616,258 min)
Weather 6.1% (179,905 min)
Security 0.1% (3,537 min)

MCI - seasonal on-time pattern

Best: September (93.4%) · worst: July (89.2%)

88%89%90%91%92%93%94% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 91.2%

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (93.4% on-time). Most delays: July (89.2% on-time).

Month Avg Flights Avg Delayed Avg Cancelled On-Time %
December 7,174 1,377 83 91.2%
November 7,254 1,057 26 93.3%
October 7,636 1,177 31 93%
September 7,215 1,048 22 93.4%
August 7,792 1,554 69 91.2%
July 7,906 1,952 69 89.2%
June 7,391 1,761 56 89.4%
May 6,999 1,318 39 91.4%
April 6,948 1,151 253 92.6%
March 7,690 1,230 178 92.9%
February 6,470 1,002 73 92.9%
January 6,920 1,121 166 92.4%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at MCI.

MCI - on-time rate by year

2020–2025, year-over-year trend.

88%90%92%94%96%98% 202020212022202320242025 96.8% 90.3% ▼ -6.7%
Year Flights Delayed Cancelled On-Time %
2025 96,454 9,399 782 90.3%
2024 99,737 8,433 591 91.5%
2023 96,908 9,004 522 90.7%
2022 89,659 8,285 1,355 90.8%
2021 75,758 5,326 636 93%
2020 65,849 2,110 2,499 96.8%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Kansas City, MO.

Cancellation Rate

1.22%

6,385 of 524,365 flights

Diversion Rate

0.11%

582 of 524,365 flights

Delay Rate

18.0%

94,477 of 524,365 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period Flights Dep Delayed Arr Delayed Cancelled Diverted
Dec 2025 7,940 1,030 1,107 54 4
Nov 2025 7,912 718 806 72 7
Oct 2025 8,429 746 870 14 7
Sep 2025 7,855 640 695 13 14
Aug 2025 8,224 763 956 38 14
Jul 2025 8,883 1,071 1,362 87 27
Jun 2025 8,789 1,142 1,362 57 18
May 2025 8,724 849 1,023 32 11
Apr 2025 7,939 651 814 33 6
Mar 2025 8,063 671 774 64 6
Feb 2025 6,732 598 665 25 3
Jan 2025 6,964 520 538 293 5
Dec 2024 7,920 714 789 15 7
Nov 2024 8,093 491 518 17 3
Oct 2024 8,838 440 531 31 5
Sep 2024 8,282 443 575 8 6
Aug 2024 8,745 727 984 65 14
Jul 2024 9,185 1,105 1,407 120 15
Jun 2024 8,899 921 1,155 37 14
May 2024 8,692 967 1,150 57 21
Apr 2024 8,213 715 879 22 5
Mar 2024 8,330 641 865 24 8
Feb 2024 6,979 418 499 11 3
Jan 2024 7,561 851 913 184 10

What the Data Says About MCI

Kansas City, MO in Kansas City, Missouri handled 524,365 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 82% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 94,477 experienced delays, 6,385 were cancelled, and 582 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.22%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 70.0 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MCI against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at MCI, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 42.6% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 30.3% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 20.8%. Weather contributes 6.1% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.1%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, September runs the cleanest at MCI with a 93.4% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 89.2% - a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 7,906. The busiest route connecting MCI is to DEN (Denver), with 22,306 flights at a 77.5% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 82% on-time, 70.0-minute average delay, 1.22% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Kansas City, MO.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Kansas City, MO (MCI)?
Kansas City, MO has an overall on-time departure rate of 82%. Out of 524,365 total flights tracked, 94,477 experienced delays and 6,385 were cancelled.
What is the most common cause of delays at MCI?
The top delay cause at Kansas City, MO is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 42.6% of all delay minutes.
What is the average delay time at MCI?
The average delay at Kansas City, MO is 70.0 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.
What is the best month to fly from MCI?
Based on historical data, September has the best on-time performance at MCI with 93.4% of flights departing on time.
What is the worst month for delays at MCI?
July tends to have the most delays at MCI, with an on-time rate of only 89.2%.
How many routes operate from MCI?
Kansas City, MO serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is DEN to MCI (Denver - Kansas City) with 22,306 flights.
What is the cancellation rate at MCI?
Kansas City, MO has a cancellation rate of 1.22%, based on 6,385 cancelled flights out of 524,365 total flights tracked.

Explore PlainFlights

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025). Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.

Using MCI's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

  • Check the busiest route from MCI before you book a connection. See top routes
  • Travel in September rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
  • Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.